The Emirates Foundation Youth Summit 2017 is set to take place from October 31st to November 1st at the Ras al-Khaimah Exhibition Centre, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation.

In its fifth year, and under the theme, "Guiding and Empowering Future Leaders", the summit offers a unique platform that aims to discuss key trends impacting the future of the philanthropy sector and the role of youth and the benefits of their engagement in delivering impact at scale.

Speaking about the summit, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Managing Director of Emirates Foundation, said, "Youth empowerment is high on the UAE agenda to boost economic growth and competitiveness. Young people today have the potential to not only build a new economic dynamic but also generate growth and new employment opportunities through enterprise development."

He explained, "We are back this year to build on previous successes with a focus on equipping future leaders with the tools needed to strategically and actively invest in their communities."

"Empowering Youth for social change is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities facing our nation today. I urge our youth to participate in this unique platform and learn from its interactive sessions and interesting debates and I urge our partners from both public and private organisations to utilise the summit to discuss innovative approaches to youth empowerment and ways to create real impact on the lives of our youth, preparing them in a way to make tangible and sustainable social impact."

The two-day summit will explore the critical need to harness the strong spirit of the nation’s youth, and encourage them to utilise their time and talents to serve their communities. The summit will engage leading institutions, global and regional business experts, government representatives and philanthropists to discuss the importance of youth engagement and empowerment in the development process.

The organisation of the Summit in Ras al-Khaimah reflects the foundation’s goal to expand its outreach and effectively support youth across the nation. It is a further extension of the work started over a year ago in the Northern Emirates by the foundation and the determination to work closely with the leadership and strategic partners there to actively engaging youth in its programmes.